30 Seconds to Mars: "Up in the Air", "The Kill", "This Is War" (Video Research)

Thirty Seconds to Mars (also sometimes referred to as 30 Seconds to Mars) is the famous American rock band which consists of Jared Leto, Shannon Leto and Tomo Miličević. The band was formed in 1998 in Los Angeles, California. Currently, musicians have released four albums, namely 30 Seconds to Mars (released in 2002), A Beautiful Lie (2005), This Is War (2009), and Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams (2013). The Martians – this is the way the fans call their favorite music group – play alternative rock, however, the fusing of various genres is also peculiar to their music. By no means, the performances, videos, and activity of the band are rather energetic and spectacular. At the same time, philosophical and spiritual lines thread the songs, creating the peculiar concept for every album (Larkin).

It is necessary to mention that all of the chosen lyrics are deep in meaning and have a hidden context, which may change according to the situation.  For instance, the song “Up in the Air” is about love and provides the audience with the social message which is a contradictory one since wrapping the hands tight around the neck of the beloved will obviously cause her pain. Moreover, the betrayal of a partner – the lyrical hero traded the eye on her lies because of being up in the air – will negatively change his attitude towards the notion and feeling of love. The song “The Kill” possesses the similar theme of betrayal as the previously mentioned one. However, this type of the betrayal has different nature. Namely, the lyrical hero finds the strength to express his dissatisfaction of himself and inquires about the reaction on his "not appropriate" actions. The insanity of confronting fears and truth in the head is what the song is about (Taylor 46). On the contrary, the lyrics “This is War” has quite different message which lies down in persuasion of the aim to obtain the final victory. Apparently, such social theme prompts the listeners to start any change and not to be afraid of doing it (Wood 28). To sum up the lyrical content of these three songs, it should be mentioned that it presents the real life and prepares inexperienced people for life challenges and make them be ready to properly react in this cruel and unfair world.

The electronic rock song “Up in the Air”, begins with the sound of guitars, drum beats, synthesizers (with new wave-style keyboards), and a chanted vocal part. Moreover, this combination sets the tone up to the end of the song. Ryan Reed from Billboard praised and highly evaluated the sonic variety of the song (Reed 44). To continue, “The Kill” has an intense rhythm with echoing riffs, moody bass lines, and strong vocal melody.  Lastly, “This is War” being the bright example of the alternative rock, is an experimental piece based on a number of vintage synthesizers.

Personally, I consider “Up in the Air” film which lasts 8.30 minutes, to be the most entertaining one. First of all, it has a lot of stars-quests such as Dita Von Teese and others. Moreover, a lot of exotic animals (a lion, zebras), bright colors (holi colors), and unusual visual forms make the video interesting to watch. All these multiple effects characterize the professional work of the operators. The same thing goes with “The Kill” which is made according to the best examples of thriller as well as horror movies. Wandering around an empty hotel and meeting the inner-self draws attention to the plot. Moreover, everyone has a doppelganger, which is the main trick of the video. Speaking about “This is War”, the main thing is the concept of showing the destructive effects of war. To emphasize on this issue, the set of fragments from real life are used.

The lyrics as well as videos of 30 Seconds to Mars are always extraordinary and are full of their specific style. The musical performances with intense experimental instrumentation are full of ethereal sonic harmony. Apparently, such manner of presentation and performance makes the band unique and attracts millions of music fans.